Vision
We all know that a dog’s vision is different than that of a human. But just how differently do they see the world? Check out these cool doggy eyesight facts!
- Dogs’ eyes contain a special membrane, called the tapetum lucidum, which allows them to see in the dark.
Puppy powers! - Your puppy cannot see detail as well as you, but they are highly sensitive to movement. In fact your dog can recognize a specific person or animal by the way they move.
- Dogs were once thought to be color blind, but we now know that dogs can see a range of colors, just differently than humans. They can see color but have difficulty distinguishing green, yellow, and red objects based on color alone.
Smell
Our fur babies love to sniff everything! People, animals, the ground, every tree or shrubbery on a walk, they love to sniff it all. A dog’s sense of smell is clearly very important to them, but just how strong is it? Take a look:
- Humans have approximately 5 million scent receptors, while some dogs have over 300 million!
- Scientists estimate that a dog can detect a specific human scent in a city the size of Philadelphia. That’s a strong sniffer!
- Dogs can sense human emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness based on the smell of hormones that we emit.
Taste
Our pups love to eat, and nothing gets them moving faster than the sound of us cracking open the fridge or a new bag of treats. But how well do our pups actually taste?
- According to the most up to date research, dogs do not have a strong a sense of taste as humans. While humans have around 9,000 tastebuds, dogs only have about 1,700.
- Because of dogs’ dislike of bitter tastes, various sprays, and gels have been designed to keep dogs from chewing on furniture or other objects.
- Dogs have stronger taste receptors for water than humans and many other animals, so it is believed that they enjoy drinking water more than us!
Touch
Your dog loves getting belly rubs and scratches behind the ear, but how does a dog’s sense of touch compare to that of a human?
- Of all five senses that dogs share with people, touch is the most similar to that of humans
- If puppies are handled from day one, stroked, held, cuddled, and touched all over their body, they begin to develop social bonds with humans. Aw!
- The most sensitive areas on a dog are along the spine and on the base of the tail, which is why dogs love getting scratched on their lower back by their tail.
Hearing
Dogs may not always listen to what we say, but it’s not because they can’t hear us! Check out these facts about dog hearing:
- Dogs do not like the rain because the sound of the rain hitting the ground is amplified for them
- Dogs are born deaf because their ear canals are closed as infants. They begin hearing normally at about 3 weeks.
- A dog whistle is in the middle of the range of a dog’s hearing, but cannot be heard by humans at all.
- Dogs can hear at four times the distance of a human!
We really hope you enjoyed learning some fun facts about your dog’s senses. Who knew that our fur baby’s were full of cool superpowers!
